What to expect

See the Ducal Palace, the Correr Museum, the National Archaeological Museum and the Monumental Rooms of the Marciana National Library

Skip the line and don't waste your time

All in San Marco Square

Ducal Palace

Probably began in the 9th century, the building was damaged by fire and underwent a first big renovation in the 12th century by order of the Doge Sebastiano Ziani. Since 1340, under Doge Bartolomeo Gradenigo, the palace began to assume its present shape but there was another big fire in 1483 that led to the rebuilding of the inner part, followed by the construction of the Giants Staircase, and another in 1574 after which the direction of the works was entrusted to Antonio da Ponte, joined by Andrea Palladio; in the following years also Tiziano and Veronese were called to decorate the interior of the building.
In the early 17th century were added the so-called New Prisons made by Antonio Contin and connected to the Palace by the Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs), so named because it was crossed by the prisoners carried to the cells.
Since 1797 the Palace was no longer used as the Prince and magistrates' seat, but it was used as the seat of administratives offices of the Napoleonic and Hapsburg empires, and in 1923 assumed its current role as a museum.

Correr Museum

The collection is located in the Napoleonic Wing built in the first half of the 19th century in the place where previously there were the church of San Geminiano and the prolongation of the Old and New Procuraties. Designed by the architects G. A. Antolini, Giuseppe Soli and Lorenzo Santi, and decorated by Giuseppe Borsato, it also hosted the Hapsburg Court, in its frequent visits to Venice so that the building still preserves many of the hallmarks of the Napoleonic and Hapsburg era: architecture, decorations and furniture in neoclassical style.

National Archaeological Museum

The Museum originated in the 16th Century thanks to the numerous donations of Venetian families, in fact in 1523, Cardinal Domenico Grimani left to the Republic of Venice a group of ancient sculptures from a vineyard near the Quirinale in Rome; also his nephew Giovanni in 1587 donated his collection of nearly two hundred sculptures from the Roman possessions of the family, as well as marbles came from the Istrian coast and sculptures from Greece. After the death of Giovanni, the setting of the collection was entrusted to Federico Contarini.
Other donations were made in 1683 (collection of medals of Pietro Morosini) and in 1795 (gems and ancient vases of Girolamo Zulian). Between 1919 and 1920 was made an adequate accomodation of all the works in the New Procuraties and for all the century the number of works has continued to increase.

To see: High relief with Mithras killing the bull, Artemis (I century BC), Athena said "Contarini" (end of the 5th century BC), Vitellio said "Grimani"

Marciana Library

In 1468 Cardinale Giovanni Bessarione made a donation to the Republic of Venice "for the common good of mankind" and this marked the birth of the first nucleus of the library; only in 1537, however, began the construction of the Library Palace in San Marco Square designed by Jacopo Sansovino and the decoration was then realized by Titian, Paolo Veronese, Bartolomeo Ammannati and Tintoretto.
Over the years the library grew thanks to many donations as well as to the incorporation of other libraries of the city; many of the works donated came from Byzantium, so that Venice became the most important center for the study of the Greek classics and attracted the greatest humanist researchers.
In 1603 a law imposed to every Venetian printer to deposit in the Marciana a copy of each book printed, so it became the institutional library of the Republic. After the fall of Venice, also the collections of the religious orders abolished by Napoleon came together in the Marciana Library which today houses one of the finest collection in the world of Latin, Greek and oriental manuscripts.

What is included

Entrance with priority access

Full-time and stay much as you want

Reservation fees

Access to temporary exhibitions

What is not included

Guided tour

Audioguide

Available options

The following options can be purchased in addition to the tickets in the booking Wizard on this website.

Audioguide (only for Ducal Palace): available in Italian, English, French and Spanish

Price reductions

Reduced/Half Ticket:

Children from 6 to 14 years (valid identity document needed at the entrance)

Students from 15 to 25 years (valid identity document needed at the entrance)

Citizens over 65 years (valid identity document needed at the entrance)

Free Ticket (it is still required to pay the presale to skip the line) :

Citizens and residents in the Venice Municipality

Children from 0 to 5 years (valid identity document needed at the entrance)

Disabled people with escort

To remember

The ticket is valid all day starting from entrance time.

The entrance time written on the tickets may be subject to small changes depending on the actual availability of the Palace and Museums.

The tickets will be sent via email within 24-48 hours after purchase (on weekdays) with instructions on how to get there and what to do to enter.

We inform you that, once booked, the date and time selected are binding. Please pick up your ticket at least 15 minutes before the reserved entrance. Who does not respect the time booked will not enter. To pick up the audio guide, you need a valid ID.

The Palace and Museums have a maximum capacity of people, in some periods of the year or special days you may experience short delays or waits not dependent on them or Italy Tickets.